Thomas j



T. J. CURTIS".

DAMPER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-23.1922.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922 2 SHEETS-SHEET I. 1

T. J. CURTIS.

DAMPER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-23. I922.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

tented Nov. 7,

" t. raisin DAMPER.

Application filed August 23, 1922.

i To all whom 27/ may concern.-

Be it known that Tnotms .l. CURTIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at 222% Ocean View Avenue. Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, has invented certain new and useful improvements in Dampers,..of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in dampers or draft regulators for stoves, furnaces, and other heating or fuel consunr in apparatus having an outlet r01: smoke.

In all stoves and furnaces at present in successful use, provision is made for regulation of the draft, in order to insure that good combustion which is nece sarily incident to an economical apparatus. In order to successfully regulate the draft, dampers are employed in the stack, said dampers being so constructed as to permit of the ready passage of smoke or other products of combustion.

In the use of the draft regulators at present employed, adequate provision is not made for the prevention of the escape, through the stack, of the unconsuu'ied combustible gases which are liberated during the fuel combustion process. A successful draft regulator should permit the escape of smoke and the other useless products of combustion, but should be adapted to hold back, and prevent the escape of the combustible gases liberated during the consumption of the fuel, These gases are known to contain combustible elements which are capable, by combustion, of greatly increasing the thernuil efficiency of the heating apparatus. One of the objects of this invention is, therefore, the production of a damper or draft regulator, which is operable either to permit a free draft through the stack, or to a position to so restrict the draft that the uuconsumed cour bustible gases are confined between the regle later and firebox until. ig od and entirely consumed. it is believed that such combustion of said gases will increase the etli ciency of the heating apparatus by at least thirty per cent. 7

Another object of the invention is the production of a device such as described, which will be easy of assembly and installation, either in a heating apparatus already in use, or in an apparatus before the latter is placed in its permanent position.

Another object of the invention is the pro- Serial No. 583,777.

vision of damper operating means, whereby the attendant may manipulate the damper so as to bring it to any position to control the draft and at the same time may be advised, on account of the position of the operating means, as to the exact size of the opening throughthe stack. In other words, the position of the operating means Will at all times indicate the position of the damper,

and consequently the degree of draft.

Other objects of the invention will be set forth in the following specification.

In the drawings forming a part of this application,

i igure a perspective view showing my invention applied to a small stove for household use.

l i'g. 2 is a similar view showing the invention applied to a large furnace.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken through a stack to which my invention has been applied. I

Fig. 4 is a side view of the damper showing the stack in section.

Fig. 5 is a top plan View of the damper.

Fig. 6 is a detailed perspective view of the damper, and

Fig. 7 is a detailed plan view of a portion of the danuaer operating mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a detailed sectional, fragmentary view showing a portion of the damper assembly.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the dan'iper, as shown very clearly in Fig. 6, is a composite structure composed of a flat, circular ring A, and upper and lower disks l3 and C, respectively. These disks are preferably of the same diameter, which is smaller than the outside diameter of the ring A, and are rigidly secured to the ring A, by rods 1, which extend through the disk and ring, and are fastened to the top of the disk C, and the bottom of the disk by riveting, or by nuts Between each k and the ring, is a sleeve 2, which receives the rod 1. The periphery of each sleeve has bearing against a surface of a disk or the ring and consequently, rotation of the nut 3 may increase the contact between the sleeves, disk and ring, and effectively unite them into a rigid compact structure. By this construction, as clearly shown in Fig. 8, if it ever becomes necessary to change either of the disks B or O, or the ring A, the nut 8 may be turned off, the defective disk or ring removed, and a new one substituted. I have shown the rods 1 riveted at the bottom, but it is obvious that a nut 3 could be substituted for the rivet with equally good results.

The ring A is preferably formed of cast metal, and, in the process of casting, is provided with the diametrically opposed thickened portions 1-, 4, and the outstanding bosses 5, 5, provided with the shoulders 6, 6. After the casting process, the bosses 5, 5 are externally screwthreaded, and are longitudinally and centrally apertured, the apertures extending, on one side, entirely through the raised portions to the internal periphery of the ring A, and almost entirely through the raised portion, on the other side, as shown in Fig. Extending through said apertures is rotatively mounted a shaft 7, carrying an operating knob 8.

It will be noted that the rotative shaft 7 extends through a boss 5, on one side, and almost entirely through the ring A on a line describing the diameter thereof. Mounted on the shaft 7. is a valve 9, of a size and configuration just suflicient to fill the central aperture in the ring A. The valve 9 may be cast with a raised portion 10, so as to accommodate the shaft 7 passing there through, or it maybe composed of two sheets of plate metal, each provided with struckup portions to form a housing for the shaft. In any event the shaft extends through the housing 10 carried by the valve 9, and the valve issecured to the shaft, against relative rotation, by any suitable means, here'shown a cotter pin 11.

The shaft 7 as clearly shown in Fig. 5, extends entirely through the body of one side of the ring A, and into the other side thereof. It is manifest that, by the construction disclosed, by turning the knob 8, the size of the opening in the ring A may be increased or diminished at will, by the valve 9.

In applying the damper to a stack 12, one of the joints thereof is separated, and notches 1,3 are fo'rmed in the periphery of both sections thereof, as shown in. Fig. 3. The composite damper heretofore described is laid transversely of the stack, the bosses 5, 5 resting in. the notches and extending on well side of the stack. The other notched portion of the stack is then brought down over the first portion, the notches resting upon the tops of the bosses 5, At the end of the boss 5, shown at the top of Fig. 1-, is

inserted a washer 14c, and a nut 15 is screwed home against said washer. A similar washer and nut are applied to the other boss 5. It WlllllJG noted that, by this construction, the sections of the stack are pressed against the enlarged shoulders 6, 6, cast on they ring A and that the inward pressure of the nuts 15, 15 is borne by the said ring, while the pipe pr stack sections are securely held in'posi- At the operating side of the damper, an-. other nut 16 is threaded upon the. boss 5,

1 and between the nuts 15 and 16, is clamped an operating handle 17, as shown in Fig. 1-.

A friction spring 18 encircles the shaft 7, between the knob 8 and the nut 16, as shown in Fig. 4, said spring being proportioned and positioned so as to impart to said knob 8, just sufiicient resistance to hold the valve 9 in any position to which it may be moved.

In operation, it will be obvious that, by turning the handle 17, the ring A, the disks I3 and O, and the valve 9, will all be turned, and the composite damper may thereby be rotated so that the elements thereof may all extend longitudinally of the stack and permit a free and relatively unobstructed draft, or may be positioned so that the rin A, which has an external diameter practically the same as the internal diameter of the stack, may completely close the stack. In this position, if the valve 9 is closed, as shown in the horizontal. dotted line, Fig. 3, there is no draft through the stack. By manipulation of the knob 8 however, the valve 9 may be turned to the position shown in full lines, to permit partial draft, or to the position shown in the vertical dotted lines, permitting still more draft. A lug 9, on one surface of the ring A, limits movement of the valve 9 in one direction, whereby the operator may be advised that the valve 9 is completely closed, and a lug 9 on the disk B limits the movement of the valve in the other direction and thereby indicates that the valve is fully opened.

The knob 8 is provided with an arrow or other pointer S on its outer face, and the position of this pointer will always indicate to the operator the degree of inclination of the valve 9. The pointer is raised from the surface of the knob 8, so that, in the dark, the operator may learn the direction thereof by the sense of touch. The handle 17, for operating the composite damper, is in the form of a. crank, and serves as a pointer, whereby the operator may be advised, from the position of said crank, as to the inclination of the composite damper.

The operating means for large furnaces, where the stack is out of reach, is somewhat different, although the basic principle is the same. As shown in Fig. 2, I may operate the shaft 7 by aifixing a pulley 18 to the end thereof, in substitution for the knob 8. A. standard 19 may be mounted below and within reach of the operator said standard being provided with pivoted crank arm 20, having a shank 21, carrying a pulley 22. A cable 23 is carried over the pulleys 18 and 22 and is operable by the crank 20 to rotate the shaft 7 the position of the crank indicating the position of the valve 9, as will be understood.

In the case just described, the composite damper will be operated by a lever 24- fixed to the shaft 7, and a rigid rod 25 connected to said lever. By vertical movement of the rod 25, the composite damper may be moved as a whole as desired. A bracket 26, provided with a loop 27, extends from the standard 19, and the rod 25 extends through said loop. Below the loop a handle 28 is fixed to the rod 25, the position of said handle with respect to the loop indicating the position of the composite damper.

It is hardly necessary to state that the ring A and the disks B and C may be made in varyii'ig sizes to lit stacks of different diameters.

It is obvious that by my improved structure, the operator is easily able to regulate the draft to a very fine degree, and to always know at a glance, or by a touch, just how much of adraft is being presented through the stack. If all the draft is closed, as shown by the horizontal dotted lines, Fig. 3, the heat and unconsumcd combustible gasesare packed up below the damper. If the operator thinks that more air is necessary to insure the ignition of these gases, he opens the valve 9 slightly and the draft will blow the combustible gases back to the fire box where they will become ignited and consumed. The entire structure presents a tortuous path for the products of combustion and operates as an effective smoke consumer.

I claim 1. A ring damper adapted to be rotatably mounted in a stack, a valve rotatably mounted in the ring of the damper, and. a shaft connected to said valve, said shaft having bearing in the body of said damper on one side of the ring and extending through the body of the damper, on the other side of the ring, and terminating outside of the stack, substantially as described.

2. A ring damper adapted to be rotatably mounted in a stack, a valve rotatably mounted in the ring of the damper, and a. shaft connected to said valve, said shaft having bearing in the body of said damper at one side of said ring, and extending through the body of said valve, and through the body of said damper, on the other side of said ring,

and terminating outside of the stack, substantially as described.

3. A ring damper adapted to be rotatably mounted in a stack, and having a radially extending aperture entirely through the body portion on oneside of the ring, and a. radially extending recess in the body portion 011 the other side of the ring, radially extending trunnions integral with said damper and extending through the stack, a valve rotatably mounted in the ring of said. damper, and a shaft connected to said valve, said shaft having bearing in said recess and extending through said aperture and one of said trunnions and terminating outside of said stack, substantially as described. a

4. A ring damper adapted to be rotatably mounted in a stack, and having a radially extending aperture entirely through the body portion on one side of the ring, and a radially extending recess in the body portion on the other side of the ring, radially extending trunnions integral with said damper and extending through the stack, a valve rotatably mounted in the ring of said damper, and a shaft connected to said valve, said shaft having bearing in said recess and extending through the body of said valve, and through said aperture and one of said trunnions and terminating outside of said stack, substantially as described.

5. A ring damper adapted to be rotatably mounted in a stack, and having a radially extending aperture entirely through the body portion. on one side of the ring, and a radially extending recess in the body portion on the other side of the ring, radially extending trunnions integral with said "damper and extending through the stack, a

valve rotatably mounted in the ring of said damper, a shaft connected to said valve, said shaft having bearing 1n sald recess and extending through said aperture and one of' said trunnions and terminating outside of said stack, means on one of said trunnions for-rotating said damper, and means on the outer end of said shaft for rotating said valve.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

THOMAS J. CURTIS. 

